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A BETTER FUTURE

POLITICS & ACTION

The very things for which Western democracy is most criticized, such as loss of morality, the crisis of authority, and the reduction of life to the self centered pursuit of immediate material gain, do not originate in democracy but in the loss of spirituality and how this is played out in the political arena. This spirituality is the only genuine source of responsibility and self respect. When we lose or temporarily misplace our moral and ethical standards, democracy loses much of its credibility.

All the tenets of our political systems, however, are merely technical instruments, which hopefully will enable people to live in dignity, relative freedom, and responsibility. They cannot in and of themselves guarantee human dignity, freedom, or responsibility. The source of these basic human potentials lies in our intrapersonal relationships, guided by our moral beliefs and how we turn this into political actions.

For example, where poverty lives, so do many other issues. There is a lack of access to safe water for 1.3 billion people. This problem only grows more severe as industries continue their unsafe dumping. Employment is a problem with 820 million people either unemployed or under-employed. In a monetary world, without a job there is not money to buy food. Inadequate food supplies affect 800 million in which 500 million are malnourished. But, people often have difficulty understanding individual threats and impacts beyond their household and community. It is easier to tune out in favor of the more immediate and manageable issues in our lives and thus not adequately engage in the political process. And yet, as far as any one of the above topics is concerned, they all impact the future security and sustainability of our society — that which is preserved and maintained culturally, economically, and ecologically over the long term.

Sustainable Development Communications Network– The Sustainable Development Communications Network (SDCN) is a group of leading civil society organizations seeking to accelerate the implementation of sustainable development through broader, integrated information and communications about what we know. The network focuses its efforts on integrating Internet communications into broader communication strategies. Our understanding of communications includes: internal communications necessary for international virtual project teams within civil society organizations (CSOs) to work together on sustainable development research; and external communications necessary for CSOs to communicate their perspectives with government and business decision-makers so as to engage these other sectors in sustainable development solutions.

The International Politics of Sustainable Development - One abiding reality of world environmental politics is the deep suspicion among developing countries that these agreements are merely devices to suppress their economic growth, engineered by the rich countries to prevent the emergence of competitors. In repeated attempts to a lay this suspicion, the rich countries have made large promises to help the poor ones in many ways. But with little in the way of enforcement, many of the promises have remained unfulfilled. That, in turn, has reinforced the suspicions of the poor and their inclination not to cooperate.

Politics of Sustainable Development - Environmental politics lead us to some of the central conflicts of our times. Ultimately they are about choices among alternatives -- choices which determine the path of societal development and the conditions within which future generations will struggle to realize their visions of the good and sustainable life for humans and other species. Struggles around conceptions of sustainable and desirable development are therefore struggles about who makes the decisions, which interests are defeated, marginalized, or never represented, and which interests predominate.

Democracy in Action - MoveOn is working to bring ordinary people back into politics. With a system that today revolves around big money and big media, most citizens are left out. When it becomes clear that our "representatives" don't represent the public, the foundations of democracy are in peril. MoveOn is a catalyst for a new kind of grassroots involvement, supporting busy but concerned citizens in finding their political voice. Our nationwide network of more than 2,000,000 online activists is one of the most effective and responsive outlets for democratic participation available today.

The Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI) - BFI is committed to a successful and sustainable future for 100% of humanity. Founded in 1983 and inspired by the Design Science principles pioneered by the late Buckminster Fuller, BFI serves as an information resource for concerned citizens around the world. BFI believes that the success of the human experiment on-board Spaceship Earth depends greatly upon individuals having access to tools which empower them to see the big picture and take strategic action. The decisive challenge is to generate a critical mass of awareness, matched by cohesive effort, focused on implementing our option for success before it expires.